2,000 businesspeople from the region are expected to participate in the Mediterranean
Week of Economic Leaders (MedaWeek) which is to be held in Barcelona on 22-24 November
2017.
Barcelona, June 27, 2017 – The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (ASCAME) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) have signed a partnership
agreement to consolidate the UfM’s position as strategic institutional partner of the
Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders of Barcelona (MedaWeek). The Vice-President of
ASCAME, Miquel Valls, and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean,
Fathallah Sijilmassi, signed the agreement today in the presence of Spain’s Ambassador at
large for Mediterranean Affairs and Spain’s Senior Official for the UfM, Milagros Hernando, as
well as several members from the MedaWeek Barcelona Advisory Council.
ASCAME and the UfM, both headquartered in Barcelona, have undertaken important
initiatives and projects in the last few years to contribute to the region’s economic
development and integration, the promotion of public-private initiatives by the private sector
to facilitate the flow of investments, and the increase of the Euro-Mediterranean region’s
appeal in attracting investment in general. In short, they have a solid history of strategic
cooperation to make progress towards integration, stability and regional socioeconomic
development.
Proof of this close partnership is the Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders of Barcelona
(MedaWeek), which ten years following its launch as the annual platform for the
Mediterranean economy, will address challenges such as the restructuring of traditional
industries and the diversification of economic activity, the attraction of major foreign
investment and the intensification of cooperation between all the region’s countries. 2,000
businesspeople from the region are expected to participate in this annual event being hosted
in Barcelona next November.
Both organisations acknowledge the importance of developing synergies and a close
collaboration between the institutions that are working to advance the Mediterranean’s
economic integration.
“We will continue working together to promote full socioeconomic cooperation between both
shores of the Mediterranean, despite the difficulties encountered along the way. Together we
can achieve more,” said the Vice-President of ASCAME, Miquel Valls.
Joint Press Release
“We’ve signed this agreement with the aim of reinforcing the regional dimension and the collaborative approach of our common cooperation efforts to foster socioeconomic development and job creation, in particular for young people as they are the main asset for the futue and stability of our region”, noted the UfM Secretary General, Fathallah Sijilmassi.
Each year MedaWeek Barcelona promotes a strong Mediterranean spirit over several days that feature a wide range of sectoral and thematic forums. Their innovative ideas and proposals seek to strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean integration, a key prerequisite for encouraging inclusive growth in the region. Some of these proposals include support programmes for entrepreneurs, women and young people, and a commitment towards emerging sectors and the new economy.
The Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders (MedaWeek) in Barcelona is supported by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.
Further information
ASCAME, the region’s main private sector organisation, was founded in 1982 as a pioneering initiative to promote economic integration between all of the region’s countries. Today it has over 300 members from more than 23 countries in both the north and south of the region.
The UfM is an intergovernmental organisation that brings together 28 countries from the European Union and 15 countries from the South and East of the Mediterranean. It provides a unique forum for strengthening regional cooperation and dialogue and the implementation of specific projects and initiatives that have a tangible impact on citizens, mainly on young people, thus addressing the region’s three strategic objectives: stability, human development and integration. Its Secretariat was established in Barcelona in 2010.